It's About Time

Claire and Blake had many mutual friends in college, but didn't officially meet until Claire's senior year at SCAD. They officially started dating late July of 2013. They spent their first year long distance, as Blake was finishing he last classes in Savannah, and Claire had moved back home to Chapel Hill. After Blake's last summer, he moved to North Carolina. He had to see about a girl.

In the six years Blake and Claire had been together, they had been on very few vacations just the two of them. They planned a trip to historic Fredericksburg, Texas for an adventure. The beginning of the trip was to venture to Enchanted Rock, the largest "mountain" in central Texas, just north of Fredericksburg. They hiked up about 1800 foot elevation to the top of the massive rock (with too few clouds and nonexistent tree cover). They made it to the top and took a moment to recover from the hike and the heat. Claire began to take photos of the views and turned around to find Blake on one knee.

Following the postponement of their wedding, Claire and Blake decided to elope. Absolutely nothing about 2020 had gone as planned, and their elopement was no different. For starters Claire realized 10hrs into the drive to Colorado that she had forgotten the bag with her elopement dress. Not to mention the hurricane that passed by, the wildfires in Colorado, a global pandemic, and the fact that it was cold and rainy the entire weekend in Colorado. All that aside, the day (and weekend) was absolutely perfect. It was raining for most of the day Saturday, but they were able to find a break in the heavy rain in the afternoon. Claire and Blake headed to the Sapphire Point overlook where they had planned to exchange their vows and rings. The overlook was a bit crowded with fellow tourists, so they headed down the hiking path. They found a spot just off the trail with a view of the surrounding mountains the the lake below. They read their vows and officially declared themselves married! And yes, they are legally married. In Colorado you can legally marry yourselves!

In 2016, Claire and Blake moved to Austin, TX with their cat, Toulouse, in search of adventure and growing their careers. They have since adopted a dog, named Huckleberry, who is a 110 lbs of fluff and cuteness. Claire is a 3D CAD jewelry designer at Balfour and Blake is a print production specialist for Whole Foods Market.